Social media is well and truly everywhere, with sites such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok helping to propel more people into internet fame every year and helping to bridge the gap closer to celebrity status. As online communities grow larger and influencers gain more followers by the day, many online creators have used their online fame to their advantage and started exploring other career paths such as music, art, and of course, acting.
With more social media influencers finding a place in the film industry there of course has been criticism, with more negative reviews than positive coming from the films or performances of these internet stars, but that isn’t to say that good examples do not exist. Here are five acting performances by internet stars that are worth checking out.
Josh Ovalle
Josh Ovalle is a filmmaker currently based in Los Angeles known for his sketch-comedy and short films on his YouTube channel, as well as his iconic Vine career where he created classics that have since become staples of internet culture such as ‘I’m Jared, I’m 19, and I never f**king learned how to read,’ which I’m sure is now a permanent part of every young person’s vocabulary.
Josh stars as an internet super celebrity Bobby Basecamp in the comedy-thriller Spreeand does an excellent job of playing a satirical hyperbole of influencer culture. His depiction as an incredibly intense hype-beast, Jake Paul– inspired live-streaming gamer is incredible, as well as his chemistry with Joe Keery and they work off each other well. It’s a great film if you haven’t seen it already, with Josh’s performance being a real highlight.
Grace Helbig
Most known for her work alongside fellow social-media creator Hannah Hart, Grace Helbig first began her internet career in 2007 accidentally when she posted a video during a moment of boredom in a house-sitting job and has since been involved in a number of films such as Camp Takota and Dirty 30 where she was able to show off her comedy skills and her fantastic chemistry with Hart.
She has also worked as a voice actress for the HBO Max animated series Jellystone! since 2021, where she plays the character of Cindy Bear as well as additional voice work for the 2016 animated film Trolls.
Ryan Higa
Ryan Higa first began making sketch-comedy videos in the early days of YouTube and is the first YouTuber to ever reach 2 and 3 million subscribers which is a pretty impressive feat, as well as hitting the highly coveted achievement of being the most subscribed channel on the platform from 2009 to 2011.
Higa first ventured into acting in 2008 with Ryan and Sean’s Not So Excellent Adventure which didn’t receive the best critical reviews, but would then play a character in the 2021 Netflix family-adventure film Finding ‘Ohana which got much better reviews and was a much better film overall.
Quinta Brunson
With the titles of writer, producer, actress, and comedian under her belt, Quinta Brunson is a fabulously talented individual currently starring in the hit mockumentary TV series Abbott Elementaryas well as having the title of the show’s creator.
She first started producing her own series on Instagram called Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date in 2014 which then led her to work as a producer and actor for BuzzFeed Video,before venturing into mainstream acting such as in the HBO comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show as well as voice work for Lazor Wulf and Magical Girl Friendship Squad. Quinta is a powerhouse of talent, well deserved of all the Emmy nominations she received as well as landing a spot on Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022 List.
Flula Borg
Flula Borg is a German actor, comedian, DJ, and internet personality who first established himself on YouTube in 2007 and quickly became popular through his eclectic vlogs and comedic rants which led to acting roles in films such as Pitch Perfect 2 and The Suicide Squad as well as in television shows like Younger, Workaholics, and Silicon Valley.
Flula, like many others on this list, also has experience in voice work with notable examples being Centaurworld and Ferdinand and still finds time to contribute to his YouTube channel which has over 800,000 subscribers.